Former Phillies we could see in 2022 interleague play

The Philadelphia Phillies are scheduled to face the AL West in interleague this season, which could mean multiple reunions with former team members.

The Philadelphia Phillies could see some familiar faces this season, with the team scheduled to play the American League West in interleague action, barring any changes forced by factors such as the ongoing lockout or the coronavirus pandemic.

Here’s a breakdown of the teams and former Phillies they might face.

Houston Astros – Héctor Neris

The Phillies are scheduled to start their season on the road, with an opening day game at the Houston Astros on March 31, followed by a day off, then two more games to conclude the series, on April 2 and 3.

The Astros signed right-handed reliever Héctor Neris to a two-year deal prior to the lockout, ending Neris’ decade-plus tenure with the Phillies organization. He signed as an amateur free agent in 2010 and pitched a clean inning in his major league debut in 2014, ironically against the Astros.

Neris has largely been the poster child for the frustrations of Phillies fans during the team’s lengthy rebuild. He’s been in and out of the closer role, posting inconsistent results and creating tense moments late in games.

Neris had a 3.01 ERA and 26 saves in 74 games during 2017, before posting a 6.90 ERA through his first 33 games of 2018, which earned him a month and a half at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

He looked great in 2019, with a 2.93 ERA and 28 saves, before giving up seven runs (four earned) in his first 5 1/3 innings of the shortened 2020 season, where he ultimately lost the closer job to trade acquisition Brandon Workman.

Neris improved as 2020 rolled on, with a 3.86 ERA after that slow start, including a 2.70 ERA in his final 13 games. He posted a 3.63 ERA overall in 2021, where he started with a 1.90 ERA in his first 25 games and ended with a 2.51 ERA in his last 40 games; it was 16 runs (13 earned) surrendered in 7 2/3 innings, during a nine-game stretch, that hurt him.

Neris recorded 84 saves as a Phillie, but it’s his 26 blown saves that stand out. He’s tied with Ryan Madson for a franchise record of blown saves since the statistic started being officially tracked in 1988.

For Phillies fans who were waiting for the team to move on from Neris, they got their wish. For Neris, the fact that the reunion would take place in Houston is probably a good thing. Imagine if the Phillies were to score off of Neris at Citizens Bank Park, it would be easy to picture a loud fan reaction.

Neris wasn’t a horrible pitcher for the Phillies but is likely one that a majority of fans will be happy to watch on an opposing squad.

Texas Rangers – Spencer Howard

The Phillies are scheduled to host the Texas Rangers on May 3 and 4, before visiting the team on June 21 and 22. They could reunite with one of the central pieces of their most recent deadline deal, right-handed starting pitcher Spencer Howard.

Howard was drafted by the Phillies in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He was ranked as the team’s fifth-best prospect by MLB.com for 2019, where he had a 2.03 ERA in 15 starts between High-A, Double-A, and rookie ball while recording 94 strikeouts in his 71 innings.

Howard was ranked as the Phillies’ top prospect in 2020 when the minor league season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. With no experience higher than Double-A, he made his major league debut in the second game of a doubleheader, giving up four runs in 4 2/3 innings. He had a 5.92 ERA in six starts overall in 2020.

The right-hander began 2021 in and out of the major leagues, where he made seven starts and four relief appearances through the first half of the season. He had an 0-2 record, 5.72 ERA, and 1.482 WHIP with the Phillies, before being traded to the Rangers at the July 30 deadline.

Howard’s biggest issue as a Phillies starter last season was his durability. He would start out strong before fading, with opponents hitting .107/.206/.125 against him in the first time through the order, compared to .458/.576/.958 in the next time through. Sixteen of his 20 strikeouts came in the first time through the order.

The main pieces who the Phillies received for Howard were starter Kyle Gibson and reliever Ian Kennedy. Gibson had a 4.59 ERA and 1.222 WHIP in 11 starts with the Phillies (he gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings during a game where he was the primary pitcher in relief), though most of his struggles were in September, after giving up seven runs in 32 2/3 innings during his August starts.

Howard had a 9.70 ERA and 1.781 WHIP in eight starts for the Rangers. Gibson remains under contract with the Phillies for this year, so both pitchers could end up facing their former teams this season.

Seattle Mariners – J.P. Crawford and Ken Giles

The Phillies are scheduled to visit the Seattle Mariners from May 9 to 11, where they could reunite with J.P. Crawford and Ken Giles.

Crawford was drafted by the Phillies in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft and was the team’s top-ranked prospect on MLB.com from 2015 to 2017. He played primarily at shortstop and third base for the Phillies between 2017 and 2018, where he hit .214/.333/.358, with three home runs and 18 RBI, in 72 games.

With the Phillies heading into a win-now mode for the 2019 season, they traded Crawford and Carlos Santana to the Mariners for a package that included Jean Segura.

The trade worked well for Seattle, who’ve seen huge improvements from Crawford during the last couple of seasons. He hit .255/.336/.338, with two home runs and 24 RBI, during the shortened 2020 season, where he won a gold glove at shortstop. He hit .273/.338/.376, with nine home runs and 54 RBI, last season.

Comparatively, Segura hit .266/.347/.422, with seven home runs and 25 RBI in 2020, before slashing .290/.348/.436, with 14 home runs and 58 RBI, in 2021. It’s safe to say that both teams benefited from the deal, so there should be no hard feelings by either club when Crawford and Segura face their former teams for the first time since the trade.

Another former Phillie who we could see in this series is right-handed reliever Giles, who the Phillies last faced in August 2018, when he was on the Toronto Blue Jays. Giles was drafted by the Phillies in 2011 and recorded a 1.56 ERA and 1.037 WHIP, with 16 saves, in 113 games between 2014 and 2015.

Giles was traded to the Houston Astros as part of the Vince Velasquez deal the following off-season. He looked great in his most recent full season, with a 1.87 ERA and 23 saves for the Blue Jays in 2019, before dealing with a forearm strain and ultimately undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020.

Los Angeles Angels – Aaron Loup

The Phillies are scheduled to host the Los Angeles Angels from June 3 to 5, where they could reunite with left-handed reliever Aaron Loup.

Loup spent his first six-plus seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he had a 3.47 ERA and 1.271 WHIP, before being traded to the Phillies at the 2018 deadline for minor-leaguer Jacob Waguespack.

The southpaw didn’t see much action with Philadelphia, pitching in just four innings, across nine games, where he gave up two runs off of four hits and a walk. The lack of games was due to a forearm injury that sidelined him for more than a month.

Loup pitched in just four games for the San Diego Padres in 2019, before being sidelined for the remainder of the year with an elbow injury. He’s since experienced the best stretch of his career, starting with a 2.52 ERA for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020, where he also saw some postseason action.

Loup posted a 6-0 record, 0.95 ERA, and 0.935 WHIP in 65 games for the New York Mets last season, by far his best year, before signing with the Angels prior to the lockout. He’s given up five hits, two walks, and just two unearned runs, while striking out 10, in 9 2/3 innings against the Phillies since his time on the team.